[Jason Topp]

I'm comforted to know that it's nice in Houston these days -- but not nearly so comforted as I am by the fact that I don't have to live there through the summer....

Or have to walk through those subterranian tunnels like a gerbil to escape the heat.

[RJ_Daley]

I toured my home course, Brown County golf course in Green Bay, WI.  It is a disaster.  The ice-snow cycles in the past month have wiped out all but 4 greens, despite having snow covers.  They are talking about 9 temp greens for at least 6 weeks, and a late August close to strip the petered out greens swards and add some more drainage, topsoil and seed anew.  It is going to be a very lousy year. 

[Mark Smolens]

RJ
Come on a bit south. I drive by Edgewood Valley CC every day. With no vegetation to block the view, all you can see is beautiful green grass on the greens and fairways. There's a couple of patches of bad grass visible, but nothing to cry about. Once all these rivers go back down, the Chicago golf season is expected to be in full swing. . .

[Rick Shefchik]

This is what we woke up to in Stillwater, Minnesota, this morning (April 23, 2013):
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At least the sun is shining. But what's really sad is that there's plenty of old snow under the new stuff.

[Daryl David]

I left MN in 1992 and moved to Indian Wells, CA. and reading this thread still makes me cringe.

[RJ_Daley]

It is hard to imagine any golf facility careful about long term turf health opening in the Twin Cities and along this line of snowmaggedon opening in less than 2-3 weeks.  What they find under this blanket of thick and fluffy stuff is the problem.  If the melt and freeze cycles have allowed ice sheets to sit upon the turf sward, that is the real danger.  If it were just soft fluffy wet snow and a quick melt with no thick ice sheets forming, that probably wouldn't be so bad.  But, if it is like here in G.B., most of the damage was done over the last month.  

I'll bet it is going to be a boom year for seed distributors with all the slit seeding required on greens.  

This may be the year I rediscover the joys of trout fishing...  

[Rick Shefchik]

Dick, our course has already decided to forgo our usual spring deep tining. Normally we'd be doing it just about the time we'll be opening up this year...whenever that might be.

[Dan Kelly]

I toured my home course, Brown County golf course in Green Bay, WI.  It is a disaster.  The ice-snow cycles in the past month have wiped out all but 4 greens, despite having snow covers.  They are talking about 9 temp greens for at least 6 weeks, and a late August close to strip the petered out greens swards and add some more drainage, topsoil and seed anew.  It is going to be a very lousy year. 

This is the most depressing post on a dismal thread....

[Dan Boerger]

Home games for the Twinkies must be no fun at the moment.

Hang in there boys -- hopefully won't be long.

[Matthew Rose]

I toured my home course, Brown County golf course in Green Bay, WI.  It is a disaster.  The ice-snow cycles in the past month have wiped out all but 4 greens, despite having snow covers.  They are talking about 9 temp greens for at least 6 weeks, and a late August close to strip the petered out greens swards and add some more drainage, topsoil and seed anew.  It is going to be a very lousy year. 

That's a major pity. I grew quite an affinity for that layout.

[Dan Kelly]

Home games for the Twinkies must be no fun at the moment.

Hang in there boys -- hopefully won't be long.

Twins are on a roll -- five straight, baby! We'll take cold wins over warm drubbings any day of the week, any week of the year, any year of the century.

[Howard Riefs]

Nice shots of the cardinal. 

At this rate, your courses will open by mid-May. All the more reason for a few of you to jump in the car and drive 300+ miles to play Whistling Straits and the River Course with us on May 4.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,55210.0.html

[Tom Fagerli]

As bad as this year is, I have a clear recollection of Rick's friend Eric Eskola announcing on the radiothat the course in Duluth were opening the next day- I believe Rick was on air with him- and it was mid May. Year was 1972ish. It was cause for joyous revelry in Duluth MN.

[Jeff Shelman]

There are reports of some public courses in town opening this weekend.

We are getting there, boys. We are getting there.

[RJ_Daley]

My daughter told me tonight that Spring Park Bay is still iced over completely.  I think they were water sking by mid May last year!!!

There must be a country-western song in there somewhere, that is the opposite of the refrain:  "To hot to fish, too hot to golf, and too cold at home."  Last 4th of July Week in TC, at daughter's wedding, we were sing that song in 100+* weather!

How about:  To much thin ice to fish, too much snow to golf, and the fire's gone out at home.... 

[Dan Kelly]

My daughter told me tonight that Spring Park Bay is still iced over completely.  I think they were water sking by mid May last year!!!

There must be a country-western song in there somewhere, that is the opposite of the refrain:  "To hot to fish, too hot to golf, and too cold at home."  Last 4th of July Week in TC, at daughter's wedding, we were sing that song in 100+* weather!

How about:  To much thin ice to fish, too much snow to golf, and the fire's gone out at home.... 

Dick --

Don't quit your day job!

Oops. Too late for that....

Dan

[PCCraig]

Home games for the Twinkies must be no fun at the moment.

I went to the afternoon game yesterday. Actually wasn't too bad as the sun is pretty strong at this point in the year.

[Jason Topp]

My club opens Friday with a forecast in the high 60's all weekend.

This is good.

[PCCraig]

My club opens Friday with a forecast in the high 60's all weekend.

This is good.

I'm jealous! Based on little facts I've received it's looking like we're still a week away or so from opening.

[Rick Shefchik]

At Stillwater we're hoping to avoid a Saturday opening. The pent-up demand would make Saturday morning a nightmare. I think we'll let this weekend pass and try for a mid-week opening next week -- snowstorms permitting, of course.

[Jeff Shelman]

Rick,

At the risk of sounding like a jerk, if the golf course is in acceptable shape, why would it be a bad thing to open on Saturday?

Sure it would be busy, but members would get to avoid having to pay greens fees elsewhere and I'm guessing you might sell a whole bunch of food and drink.

If there's that much demand, I would think your pro could set up a shotgun or something.

[Sam Morrow]

I'm comforted to know that it's nice in Houston these days -- but not nearly so comforted as I am by the fact that I don't have to live there through the summer....

Or have to walk through those subterranian tunnels like a gerbil to escape the heat.

What's wrong with summer in Houston?

[Rick Shefchik]

Rick,

At the risk of sounding like a jerk, if the golf course is in acceptable shape, why would it be a bad thing to open on Saturday?

Sure it would be busy, but members would get to avoid having to pay greens fees elsewhere and I'm guessing you might sell a whole bunch of food and drink.

If there's that much demand, I would think your pro could set up a shotgun or something.

Jeff,

We don't have tee times at SCC, so that would create a real crush at the first tee. We did discuss a shotgun start, but given the weather forecast, it looks like we can open midweek and avoid a bumrush to the first tee on Saturday morning.

[Jeff Shelman]

I get that you guys don't have tee times, but I guess I don't understand the thinking.

It has been an awful spring. It's late April. I would think that if the course is ready, a decision made to avoid a crush on the first tee seems like it's being made to make things easy on the staff instead doing what's good for members.

Between guest fees, food and beverage, I'm guessing that clubs that don't open this weekend will have their members combine to spend thousands and thousands of dollars at other courses.

I would feel differently if it was late March or before the Masters or if the forecast wasn't for around 70 degrees. But my opinion is that clubs need to do everything they can for their dues-paying members right now.

I think the decision of clubs such as Windsong and Hazeltine to open on Saturday is going to put a lot of pressure on decision makers at other clubs. I can just hear the member complaining, "So a US Open/PGA Championship/Ryder Cup course can open, why can't we?"

[Dan Kelly]

I can just hear the member complaining, "So a US Open/PGA Championship/Ryder Cup course can open, why can't we?"

Go for it! (Emoticons omitted.)

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